Now that we have the title, when is the public holiday?

13 December 2016, 12:00AM

The new favourite son of Samoa, Lupesoliai Joseph Parker, has created history by winning the WBO heavyweight title. The victory at the Vector Arena has brought so much joy to Samoa as the nation celebrates one of her finest sporting moments. On the streets yesterday, the question of when the government will declare a public holiday was not far from people’s minds.  Josefa Steven Maiava spoke to some of them and this is what they said:

Rimini Samuel Tago, Vavau

We should have a public holiday to celebrate Parker’s win. This is the first time a Samoan has won the WBO title. This is a very big achievement for both Joseph and Samoa so we should give him the respect he deserves and celebrate his success. Just like how we had a public holiday for the Manu Samoa. We could maybe even wait until Joseph is back in Samoa before we celebrate his championship belt.

Sam Palota, Moata’a

 Yes, I believe we should make this victory into an enjoyable holiday for the public of Samoa. This is the first time a Samoan representative won the heavyweight championship belt of the world so why not celebrate it? This wouldn’t be the first time we took a day off because of a sport event so I reckon we should hold Joseph Parkers victory up high and celebrate it as one nation.

Andrew Tupa’i, Vaitele 

I watched the fight and all I can say for now is that it was well fought. Both boxers brought their A game and I’m sure they sacrificed a lot of time in the preparations they went through before the fight. There should be a public holiday for Parker just like the Manu Samoa’s public holiday. We invested a lot of money into this fight and we should give him a day of celebration for all his hard work.

Sili Afamasaga, Saleimoa 

The fight was good and that’s why we should have a public holiday for our Samoan sports hero Joseph Parker. We should have it just before Christmas and I reckon we should all wait at the airport to greet Joseph back into his home country.

Reupena Moana Fasi- Safune, Savaii

 It was a very good fight. We should definitely dedicate a holiday to Joseph Parkers victory because he is the first Samoan to win the title. I heard he was coming to Samoa so we should wait and have a big celebration with him when he arrives. The fight was a tough one but the results is all that matters and I know for a fact that he’s ready for the next one.

Iporito Kalolo, Leauva’a

It’s up to the Government but it would be nice if we did celebrate Joseph’s hard work in a form of a public holiday. The fight was a good one in my opinion and he deserved the win. I’m so proud of Joseph’s accomplishments and I’m very grateful for his efforts in and out of the ring.

13 December 2016, 12:00AM
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